Once Upon A Christmas
by meijing
Summary: At Christmastime, three couples experience a little yuletide gloom. Can Christmas change everything? Of course! This story contains Taito, Jyoushiro, and Daikeru.


Once Upon A Christmas

by meijing

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    It's that time of year again...another Christmas 'fic from mei! This time, three different couples get a little yuletide gloom. Can Christmas change everything? Of course it can!

    The timeline's in the North Pole with Santa Claus, so Mimi never went to America and Yamato only went out with Sora in a bad fruitcake induced nightmare. This story is thoroughly baked with Taito, seasoned with Daikeru and Jyoushiro, and flavored with a dash of Somi, Hiyako, and Kenori. If those ingredients don't suit your taste, you'd better find another recipe, if you know what I mean. Don't make me throw holiday sprinkles at you.

    My disclaimer's in my profile, by just in case: I do not own, nor do I claim to own Digimon or any of the titles associated with the series; it is copyright of its respectful owners and I am not making any profit from this piece of fiction whatsoever.

    AN: Italics indicate either a narration, explanation, or a change of scene. You'll see. They aren't many because I didn't want to annoy anyone. I used Veemon's and Myostimon's Japanese names (Chibimon and Vamdemon, as the voices tell me), as well as the Japanese name for brother (onii-chan) because "brother" sounded too formal in conversation. Also, for things in the North Pole, all logic's there too. It's a Christmas 'fic, by jingle—it's not supposed to make complete sense. To hell with logic; I just got my poetic license renewed.

    Whew...on with the story!

  


**Once Upon A Christmas**

    _Perhaps the first thoughts that come to mind when Christmas is mentioned are happy ones; tales of family gatherings over a warm fire, brightly lit towns and houses, the smells of gingerbread and candy canes, and opening presents flood to one's imagination. These are just a few, and there are several warm memories that will forever make Christmas special._

    _However, it is impossible and improbable to say that Christmas is a completely wonderful holiday for everyone who has the chance to celebrate it. With the joy and laughter, with the fond memories of warmth, there are equally gloomy memories. For every laugh, there is a sigh; for every smile, a frown; and for every memory of warmth there is a matching coldness._

    _For the sake of optimism, one can say that most experience happiness. Unfortunately, the ones that fall under the dark cloud that is desperation cannot be forgotten..._

  


~((* (One Week Before Christmas) *))~

  
    Yamato was sick and tired—mentally sick and tired. He was never one who adored Christmas, (or, if he ever did, he was too young at the time to remember) and the holiday, with all its brightly colored lights, colorful ornaments, and joyful carols tore endlessly at his nerves. He would have been happy to never again see red and green juxtaposed in festive holiday decorations.

    His best friend, with whom he shared an apartment, was the exact opposite. Yagami Taichi was the self-proclaimed Spirit of Christmas. He caroled and jingled and encompassed all the attributes that anyone could associate with the Christmas season. He put the "merry" with Christmas, so to speak. Their friendship was a true enigma, a story that could only be told over a tall glass of eggnog. Yamato didn't care to tell the story; he had feelings for Taichi that ran deeper than friendship, and he hated eggnog anyway.

    Yamato sat on the couch, desperately trying to ignore Taichi and peacefully drink a mug of coffee. Taichi was kneeled before him, trying to use his best techniques to persuade Yamato to let him have a Christmas party at their apartment.

    "No," Yamato said for about the thousandth time. All the noise, noise, noise...not that he didn't want to see his friends, he just hated parties. He'd wind up locked in his room, trying to block out everything.

    "Please," Taichi pleaded. He tried to look as innocent as possible. Yamato only rolled his eyes and repeated his same answer as before. The innocent look intensified as Taichi hugged Yamato close and put his head on his shoulder. "Please." This time it was pitiful. Yamato drew in a sharp breath because Taichi was so close. Taichi's hair tickled his neck and cheek, and he wanted it so badly to be more than just a ploy for a Christmas party. He sighed and gave up, partly because he couldn't take it anymore.

    "Alright," he said, exasperated. He hope that he stopped the waver in his voice. He was twenty-one, and too old to be acting like some lovesick teenager. But somehow the way that Taichi made him feel still carried on through the years....

    "Then let's go!" Taichi yelled, jumping off the couch and grabbing his coat.

    "Go where?"

    "Out, of course! We have to buy more decorations and food and invitations and—"

    "Taichi, you know that I hate going out in the cold."

    "Yamato, you know that I need you to come with me. Besides, it'll be fun!" Taichi said, pulling Yamato up and tossing him his coat. Taichi hurried out the door, leaving Yamato to turn off all the lights and singing Santas. Yamato flashed a disparaging glance at the last Santa decoration and frowned.

    "If there really were a Santa Claus," he thought aloud, "then he'd give me Taichi for Christmas. But fat guys in red suits that fly sleighs don't exist."

    Somewhere, a sleigh-flying fat guy in a red suit sneezed.

  
    _Now take another, just as sad, but having perhaps the better claim...._

  
    Takeru opened the door of his apartment with a frown. He came in, taking off his hat, shoes, and coat. He had been searching relentlessly for the perfect present for his boyfriend, Daisuke, but with no avail. He had searched through countless department stores and small shops but he still couldn't find anything.

    The problem was that he wanted this year's present to be absolutely, ultimately, and undeniably perfect. It was their first Christmas together and Daisuke had done so much for him...he only wanted to return the favor. But he couldn't find anything! Everything was either too commonplace or way too expensive. With only a week left, he still had no ideas, much less a present.

    "Is that you, T. K.?" Daisuke called from their living room. Takeru forced his best smile.

    "Yeah," he answered. Daisuke came in from the living room and kissed him.

    "It's late. Where have you been all day?"

    Takeru gave a little laugh. "Oh, nowhere special. I just had to check on some things," he lied. He knew that he was an awful liar, and hoped that Daisuke couldn't tell. "So...," he started, changing to subject, "what'd you do while I was gone?"

    "Watch t. v. Eat. Sleep. Save Patamon and Chibimon from killing each other." None of the other Chosen's apartments allowed "pets," even though each chosen had tried to explain that Digimon weren't exactly pets.

    Just as Daisuke finished talking, a crash came from the living room.

    "It's my turn!" Patamon yelled. He was fighting with Chibimon over whose turn it was to play on the train that circled around their Christmas tree.

    "No it's not!" Chibimon yelled back.

    Though he loved living with his Digimon, Takeru had to admit that it could be hazardous. Their tree had been knocked over five times. There were never any sweets left in the house (that was partly Daisuke's fault, too). Not to mention the noise—if the two Digimon weren't shouting at each other, they were playing; playing meant things got even louder.

    Patamon flew over and settled on Takeru's hat. "Tell him that it's my turn," Patamon pleaded. Takeru sighed.

    "Why can't both of you ride at the same time?"

    Patamon thought for a long moment and went back to the train. "Let's ride together!" he suggested. Chibimon nodded.

    "I'm conductor."

    "No, I'm conductor!"

    Takeru and Daisuke both rolled their eyes. "I'm going to bed," Takeru said. He was tired, and hopefully he'd get a spectacular idea while he slept.

  
    _Finally, consider the last, where perhaps the darkest cloud lingers..._

  
    The sound of rapid typing seemed to be magnified thousands of times. There was only one person in the quiet apartment, and the only lights were those of a pineapple laptop and a Christmas tree. Every sound seemed to thunder throughout each room, even the quiet hum of the refrigerator; if the hum was thunder, then the typing was a tornado on a path of destruction.

    Koushiro bit his lip and slowed his tornado of typing. He paused and waited for several minutes, but he heard no other sounds. He was tired of the endless silence. Looking at the clock, he noticed that it was a little after midnight. Jyou still wasn't home.

    Normally, Jyou would be home, and they would both be asleep. But Jyou had been given position as one of the top neurologists at Odaiba Memorial Hospital, so he was always on-call. He was rarely ever home, and when he was at home he slept.

    Koushiro's eyelids tugged, begging for sleep, but he just couldn't go to bed yet. He had a habit of waiting for Jyou; he wasn't sure that he wanted to break his habit so soon. He yawned.

    If asked of their relationship, Koushiro would fake a smile and say that it was as it always had been. They were in love, of course, and planned to stay together "forever." In truth, "forever" didn't seem possible as long as Jyou was an on-call neurologist. "Forever" was separate; Jyou's "forever" was at the hospital, and Koushiro's was at home, alone.

    The sound of a key turning in a lock jarred Koushiro from starting his typing again. Jyou passed by the living room and Koushiro, but then he came back.

    "What are you doing up so late?" Jyou asked.

    "I couldn't sleep," Koushiro answered quietly.

    "Oh," was Jyou's only reaction. Something about the expression on his face made Koushiro wonder if Jyou meant to say something else, but couldn't find the right words. Koushiro shut down his laptop, going to Jyou and kissing him lightly.

    "Goodnight," he whispered.

    He left Jyou wondering if they were slowing fading away from each other.

  


~((* (Christmas Eve) *))~

  
    Koushiro sat at the table with Jyou on Christmas Eve, one of the rare mornings that they were able to spend together. There had been another terrible silence at their breakfast table, making Koushiro wonder if things could ever be as they used to be. He typed on his laptop (as usual) as Jyou drank coffee and read the newspaper. Koushiro left the table, suddenly remembering to check the mail. He opened a green envelope first, recognizing Taichi's bad handwriting.

    "We're invited to a Christmas party tomorrow at seven," Koushiro announced softly. "It's at Taichi and Yamato's apartment."

    "Leave it to Tai to send an invitation the day before Christmas," Jyou said sarcastically. He softened his voice and said, "I don't think that I'll be able to come." Koushiro only frowned and turned away.

    "You haven't been able to come to a lot of things lately," Koushiro said.

    Jyou sighed. "Don't start this again, Kou. You know that I can't help it."

    "Yeah, I know," came the reply, dryly.

    Jyou was at a loss for words. "I'm sorry," he said, exasperated.

    "You're sorry? Is that supposed to fix everything? Is "sorry" supposed to erase the fact that I barely even see you anymore? That we don't go out or even talk anymore?"

    "What am I supposed to do? What do you want from me?"

    Koushiro grabbed his laptop. "I don't want anything. I just want you," he said quietly, broken and frustrated.

  
    _Over the streets and through the darkness, to more unhappiness the story goes..._

  
    "A little to the left, Tai," Sora suggested. Taichi had insisted on her coming to help with placing decorations up, and he usually asked her to come over when he needed advice. (Yamato was out with Takeru, his brother.) Taichi was hanging up mistletoe—one of his ideas to get them together. "No, more to the right."

    "You know, this probably won't work anyway," Taichi complained. Sora rolled her eyes.

    "Nice to know that you have confidence in yourself."

    "I'm serious! Nothing ever goes right when I do something like this. He'll end up punching me or something."

    "Blah, blah, blah, Tai. Why is it that everyone but you can see how much he cares about you? We all thought that you two would be the first to get together, but no, you're both too afraid to tell one another how you feel. So much for your crest."

    "Blah, blah, blah, yourself. I'm just being cautious."

    "Yeah, well you're taking too long. You'd better be glad that I didn't go for him first."

    Taichi flashed her a withering look. "Ooh, I'm telling Mimi."

    Sora pretended to be afraid. "No, don't!" She tried to look serious, but burst out laughing. It was always a joke between them that she would "steal" Yamato from Taichi and that Taichi would "steal" Mimi from her.

    Taichi made one last adjustment to the mistletoe and stepped back to admire his work. "I hope I can go through with this."

    Sora came up and put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm sure that everything will turn out fine in the end."

  
    _'Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the Odaiba..._

  
    Takeru had been to the mall one too many times to be considered a sane person. He thought that bringing Yamato, his brother and guru of all advice, would help his situation, but Yamato was in a gloomy mood. After two hours of unsuccessful attempts at finding Daisuke a present, Takeru suggested that they stop for some coffee. Yamato sat across from him, staring off into nothingness.

    "Are you okay, onii-chan?" Takeru asked.

    Yamato nodded slowly, like he wasn't really paying any attention. "Yeah. I'm fine."

    "If you were fine, you wouldn't be off in your own little world right now. Is it about Tai?"

    Yamato flashed him a faint smile. "How'd you guess?"

    "Something about that angsty look on your face gave it all away." Yamato threw an empty straw wrapper at him. Takeru caught it and threw it back. "Just tell him how you feel."

    Yamato shook his head 'no.' "We've been over this a thousand times. It's not that easy."

    "So your brilliant plan is to never tell him at all?"

    "So your brilliant plan is to be too choosy to find a Christmas present for your boyfriend?" Yamato shot back. Takeru wrinkled his nose at him.

    "I'm just waiting for the right present to come along."

    "And I'm just waiting for the right moment."

    Silence hung in the air for a moment, and then they both said, "We're hopeless." They both laughed at each other, lightening the mood of an otherwise sad situation.

  


~((* (Christmas Night) *))~

  
    Taichi and Yamato's apartment was aglow with Christmas lights and decorations. The smells of gingerbread, pine, and cinnamon floated throughout the rooms, and the sound of happy conversations could be heard at every corner. Something about the party seemed to lift the cloud of desperation that hung over many of the partygoers. The Digimon helped the mood too, despite the broken dishes in the kitchen and the landlord checking up on their apartment every half hour. (He could have sworn that he heard pets. He hated pets.)

    Another one of Taichi's "brilliant" ideas was to have everyone bring presents to open. For the others, this was a great idea; for Takeru, it only increased his anxiety. He had passed out presents to all of his friends, and even to the Digimon, saving Daisuke for last. Daisuke's eager smile made him want to crawl under one of Yamato's batches of cookies.

    He turned to the party around him and bit his lip. Mimi was dancing with Sora, Ken and Iori were watching the Digimon play, Hikari was busy taking pictures with Miyako, Koushiro was sitting alone, staring out the window (waiting for Jyou), and Yamato was in the kitchen. Taichi was on the balcony, waiting for snow and singing. If this turned out to be a disaster, at least no one would notice. Takeru faced Daisuke again.

    "Daisuke, I...I didn't get you a regular present this year." Daisuke looked at him, confused. "I searched and searched, but I just couldn't find anything good enough for you. I wanted to get you something special, something that stood out." He paused and reached behind him, sticking a red, shimmery bow on his head. "So I'm giving you me. All of me."

    A small eternity passed before Daisuke finally gave a reaction. He laughed—a deep chuckle that make Takeru feel three sizes too small. Takeru got up to hide in a corner somewhere, but Daisuke pulled him back down and wrapped him in his arms. He kissed him on the cheek.

    "That's funny," Daisuke said. "I was going to give you the same thing!" Takeru finally smiled and fully kissed Daisuke.

    "Merry Christmas!" he said, sticking a green bow on Daisuke's head.

    From the other side of the room, Koushiro smiled sadly at their happiness. He just couldn't bring himself to completely enjoy the party. He and Jyou had never made up, and that had been nagging at him all day. He knew that he shouldn't have gotten so mad; he was usually more patient. He just wanted to apologize, but he hadn't seen Jyou since their argument. Today was Christmas, and they still weren't together.

    What Koushiro didn't know was that Jyou was risking his job just to spend Christmas with the one he loved. He knew that they were drifting apart because of his job, and he wanted to fix that. It dawned on him that Koushiro was more important than anything else, and heloved Koushiro too much to lose him. He was driving down the streets of Odaiba like a Vamdemon out of hell just to get to the party. A light snow began to fall as he dashed to the front of the building and up the stairs. He opened the door in a rush, surprising everyone (especially Koushiro).

    Koushiro didn't know what to say, and neither did Jyou; they stood, facing each other in an unsure silence. Suddenly, Jyou opened his arms and enveloped Koushiro in a warm embrace.

    "Jyou," Koushiro said in a choked whisper. "I thought that you had to work."

    Jyou pushed Koushiro back gently so that he could look him in the face. "Work's not important. You are." Koushiro smiled at him. "And I wanted to give you something, just to let you know that I still love you, no matter what." Jyou reached into his pocket and handed him a small box. Inside was a gold ring with amethyst and smoky quartz inlaid together, and "I love you" inscribed on the inside.

    "I love you too," Koushiro said quietly. Jyou kissed him and placed the ring on Koushiro's finger.

    Sora, sitting on a couch nearby, turned her attention to the kitchen. She shook her head and 'tsk-ed.' Taichi and Yamato had gotten absolutely nowhere. The mistletoe was hung in the doorway entering the kitchen, and it seemed as though both of them made sure to enter and exit at different times. She picked up a piece of popcorn and threw it at Taichi's head. He turned to her with a questioning look. Mimi, who was sitting beside Sora, threw a walnut at Taichi and motioned to the mistletoe.

    "I get the point!" he exclaimed, hitting them with his Santa hat. The moment was perfect; Taichi pretended to be going in the kitchen for a soda and Yamato was coming out.

    "Oooh, you're both under the mistletoe!" Hikari called from her position beside Miyako. Yamato looked up with an expression similar to a reindeer in headlights. He blushed a shade that rivaled the red on the Christmas ribbons decorating the rooms. He looked away, not wanting to look Taichi in the eyes.

    Taichi felt like his stomach was on a rocket to the moon. He was nervous, and too old to be feeling like a shy preteen getting a first kiss. But the butterflies in his stomach were fluttering madly and they weren't showing any signs of stopping. He placed his hands lightly on Yamato's waist and leaned in for the kiss. It felt like the world was mute and everyone in the room was watching them. Their lips were almost touching when he broke away and headed into the kitchen.

    Yamato was just as confused as the other occupants of the party. He followed Taichi into the kitchen, ready for an explanation. "What is it, Tai?" he demanded. "Does kissing me disgust you or something?" He was hurt, not to mention a little angry.

    Taichi leaned against the counter. "It's not that."

    "Then what is it!"

    "I'm not sure how you feel about me. I don't want to assume that we're on the same page."

    Yamato threw up his arms. "Tai, what is it with you! Can't you tell that I feel the same way you do? You act like I'm just stringing you along!" He turned to leave. "Forget it, Tai. Just forget it." Taichi grabbed his wrist.

    "Yamato, wait!" Yamato didn't make a move to resist.

    "Taichi, I've been waiting for too long."

    "Then just give me one more chance." Yamato sighed and acquiesced as Taichi led him back to the mistletoe. "Let's do it right this time," Taichi whispered, kissing Yamato until they were both breathless. "I love you."

    "I love you too, Tai. You know that." They kissed again and turned back to the party.

  
    _No matter where dark clouds cast their shadow, something about love and Christmas seems to wash away such darkness._

  


**The End**

    Hope you liked it! Yeah, I know, the situations weren't _that_ depressing, but the 'dark cloud' narration set the mood (in my opinion). If you're still in a Christmas-y mood, go read my other Christmas 'fic. (It's in my bio, I wrote it last year.) Merry Christmas (regardless of the time of year!) and thanks for reading! ^_^ meijing ^_^


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